Wagon-box lifter



Sept. 4, 1923. 1,467,167

s. H. JONES WAGON BOX LIFTER Filed Oct. 50 1920 Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT" oFricE.

WAGON-Box 1.1m

Application filed October 30, 1920. Serial No 420,629.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HARVEY JONES, a citizen of United States ofAmerica, residing at Forrest City, in the county'of Saint Francis and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wagon-Box Lifters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive-means for facilitating the removal and replacement of the body or bed of a wagon of the type ordinarily used in connection with farm work and for general hauling purposes wherein under certain conditions it is desirable to remove the ordinary box body to permit of the substitution of a rack or for use of a running gear or bed independently of a body 01' rack supported thereby; and more especially to provide a device for the purpose indicated by means of which the removal and replacement of the body may be effected by a sin gle operator, unassisted, regardless of the weight of the body and without the exercise of an objectionable amount of effort; and with these objects in view the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawing, wherein The figure is a perspective view of the apparatus showing in dotted lines a wagon body supported thereby.

The apparatus consists essentially of standards or uprights 10 connected longitudinally in pairs by reach bars 11 disposed in a substantially horizontal position and in parallelism at a transverse interval sufiicient to permit of driving a wagon between the vertical planes thereof, a rocker bar 12 terminally fulcrumed upon the reach bars at intermediate points and extending transversely across the interval therebetween, and a lever 13 carried by the rocker bar and supporting a grapple 14 for engaging the wagon body which is indicated at 15.

In the construction illustrated the standards are provided at their lower extremities with feet 16 consisting of blocks adapted to rest upon or be let into the surface of the ground or floor upon which the apparatus is to be erected, and sockets 17 secured to said blocks and receiving the lower extremities of the standards which are locked in place therein by any suitable means.

At or near the centers of the reach bars are arranged stop pins 19 to limit the movement of the rounded terminals 20 of the rocker bar which is adapted to turn on the surfacesof the reach bars as the lever 13 is moved by the operator to raise and lower the grapple 14 which is engaged with the wagon body, and as shown said grapple consists of a cable extending through an eye 21 at the extremity of the shorter arm of the lever 13 and provided with terminal interlocking means suchas a hook 22 and an eye 23 for engagement beneath the wagon body at or about the center of the length thereof.

The operating lever is made of a length and with a ratio between the long and short arms thereof so as to enable the operator to obtain the necessary leverage to raise a Wagon body of the ordinary weight without undue eflort and connect with the standards at one end of the frame and adapted for engagement with the free end of the longer arm of the lever, to secure the same in a position supporting an elevated wagon body, is a retainer 24 which obviously may be of any convenient construction but which as illustrated consists of a cable secured at one end to one of the standards and engaged at.

the other end by a cleat 25, the operating lever being provided with a seat 26 for the reception of the cable to prevent the accidental disengagement thereof.

Obviously in operation the grapple may be engaged with the wagon body and the longer arm of the lever may then be depressed by the operator and secured by means of the retainer to hold the wagon body in an elevated position while the wagon a rocker bar terminally fulcrumed uponthe reach bars at intermediate points of the length thereof and an operating lever carried by and pivotally mounted upon the rocker bar and having a terminal grapple I for engaging a wagon body, said reach bars being provided with upwardly extending stop pins and the rocker bar having rounded terminals for engagement with the reach bars in contact with said pins.

2. A wagon body lifting apparatus having a frame consisting of terminal standards connected in pairs by parallel reach bars transversely spaced to permit of driving a wagon between the vertical planes thereof, a rocker bar terminally fulorumed upon the reach bars at intermediate points of the length thereof and an operating lever carried by and pivotally mounted upon the rocker bar and having a terminal grapple for engaging; a Wagon body, retaining means being provided for securing the opposite end of the lever in a depressed position, and consisting of a cable terminally attached to one of said standards and having a detachable engagement with the opposite standard, the operating lever being provided With a seat for the reception of sald cable.

In testimony whereof he affixes his signature.

STEPHEN HARVEY JONES. 

